


we wander under the stars, hearts reaching home

by PilotsRed



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Found Family, Gen, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Tumblr Prompt, ging? who's that, im so soft and weak honestly, sometimes a family is 5 people under 30 and thats ok, we stan leorio
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-06 17:22:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16837054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PilotsRed/pseuds/PilotsRed
Summary: After a hard day of work at the hospital's clinic, Leorio has one last patient waiting to be treated.





	we wander under the stars, hearts reaching home

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of a hxh au I've been working on for a while. It's a no-nen au with the aesthetic of the nineties but with some modern day things. Gon, Killua and Alluka live together under Mito's care in a cottage on the edge of a huge forest. The three go to school in the local city where Mito works. Kurapika is a forest ranger and Leorio is a medical student volunteering at a local clinic. Hijinks ensue. 
> 
> This scene is from pretty late in the au, after a lot of the drama is smoothed out (Killua and Alluka did not always live with Gon for example), so it's pretty much just fluff :) warning for mild injuries and a vague hospital waiting room. Hope you enjoy!

“Leorio?” Mina, the senior nurse on duty, poked her head around his door. “There’s someone here asking for you by name.”

Leorio looked up from his screen. “Really?” He felt his heart rise in his throat. “It’s not a kid with scruffy black hair, is it? Is he badly injured?”

Mina shot him a funny look. “There’s two. One’s a little girl, and I think the older one is her brother. He won’t let anyone else treat them.”

Oh. “Don’t worry Mina, I’ll see them.”

“Are you sure?” Mina said, raising her wrinkled brows. “Aren’t you just about to clock off anyway? You’ve been here all day.”

He raised a hand, smiling. “I’ve still got patient notes to finish off. And I’m sure it’s not that bad. Killua wouldn’t be so cooperative if she was hurt.”

Mina opened her mouth as if to say something, then shut it, clearly thinking better of it.

Leorio put his hands on his knees and pushed himself up. The old rickety office chair creaked and groaned and Leorio heard the echo of it in his spine. The Free Clinic really needed better funds. 

One day.

He picked up his medical bag and poked his head around the door. “Killua? Alluka?”

The two kids looked up from their laps wide eyed, huddled together in the corner of the tattered waiting room under a faded poster about hand washing. Alluka’s eyes were stained with tears.

“Hey, Killua.” Leorio said softly. He walked over. “What happened?”

Unlike Alluka, Killua’s eyes were dry and stony. “It was my fault.”

Alluka hiccuped. “No it wasn’t.” Her lip wobbled. “I broke his skateboard.”

“I shouldn’t have let you play on it!” Killua snapped. He looked livid at himself, and Leorio ached.

“Hey now.” He said quietly. “Did one of you get hurt?”

Alluka’s bottom lip trembled. She held up her hands. Leorio held back a wince. Her palms were badly scraped.

Killua clenched his teeth. “I think she hurt her ankle too. It’s probably sprained.”

Leorio sucked in a breath through his teeth sympathetically. “That sounds very painful. Your knees aren’t grazed are they?”

Alluka wiggled one leg. “I’m wearing Killua’s knee pads.”

“Ah, very clever.”

She gave him a watery smile.

He flicked open the clasp on his bag. “Any dizziness, nausea?” He shone a light in her eyes. Good, normal response.

She shook her head. “It’s just my leg and my hands that hurt.”

Leorio nodded. “Alright.” He took some gauze and antiseptic out. “Careful,” he warned. “This will sting.”

Killua put a hand on his sister’s shoulder when she winced. They both looked equally miserable.

He cast round for a distraction.

“So,” he said, trying to sound casual and not completely out of the loop. “You were playing on Killua’s skateboard?”

“Yes.” She sniffed a little. “We were on the main road by Gon’s house playing and Killua said I could have a go.”

“Did you fall off?”

“I thought I had the hang of it, but then I told Killua to let go and then I fell forwards.”

“It’s harder than it looks, huh? Wouldn’t catch me on one of those things.”

She giggled thickly. “You would look -s-silly.”

Leorio gasped in mock outrage. “I would not! I would look cool like Kurapika. Handkerchief?” He pulled his handkerchief out his pocket and she blew loudly on it.

Killua snorted. “Kurapika isn’t cool. He lives in the woods and spends his time yelling at tourists who litter.”

“Well, his yelling certainly scared  _ you _ , that’s how I remember it.”

Alluka laughed at her brother’s grumpy face, scraped hands completely forgotten.

“So where is Gon?” Leorio asked.

The siblings froze and exchanged a glance.

“Ooh…..” Alluka said.

Killua slumped his shoulders. “I…. we ran off without telling him where we were going.”

Leorio scowled. “He better not do anything stupid. I’ll hold you accountable, Killua.”

Killua groaned. “Gon’s  _ always  _ stupid though.” He rolled his eyes to the ceiling exasperatedly, his head lolling back on his shoulders. 

But despite his tone, Leorio could see his smile, tilted skywards at the fluorescent strip lighting in the ceiling above them, lighting this dingy corner of the North Street Clinic waiting room.

He smiled. They truly were quite a pair. 

“We’ll look at that sprain now, Alluka.”

She nodded. There was a sudden wave of activity in the waiting room, as several people entered and left and once. The waiting room was nearly half full. 

Leorio swallowed down his disappointment. Mito could take these two home, if he called her workplace. He would stay a little longer. They were stretched so thin already.

“It seems like it’s only slightly sprained. We’ll get you a brace and some ice, and then don’t walk too much on it for the next few days.”

Alluka nodded gleefully. “Killua can carry me around!”

“Hey!” Killua protested, before he was cut off by a single car honk from outside. His brows furrowed.

“That sounds… like Kurapika’s jeep….” He murmured. 

The car honking got louder. Leorio tried to keep a straight face. Mina’s right eye was twitching as she stoutly ignored it, ushering a limping lady into the doctor’s room before spinning on her heels to snatch a ringing phone off the front desk.

Abruptly, it stopped. He heard a very loud slam of a car door.

Kurapika stormed through the Free Clinic’s front doors, a visibly excited and upset Gon behind him.

His eyes were burning that curious red-brown colour, and he scanned the room swiftly, eying the various ill and injured patients with the fierceness of someone who fought they might be about to leap at him with knives.

He spotted Leorio and strode over.

“Leorio, there you are. We need to go--” He stopped abruptly at the sight of Alluka and Killua sitting in the cracked leather chairs, grinning sheepishly up at him.

Leorio grinned at him. “No hello for me, sunshine?”

Kurapika glared at him hotly and he changed tack. “Or for these two charming children?” He smiled widely, waving an arm at Alluka and Killua.

“Hi Leorio!” Gon waved from behind Kurapika’s elbow. “Killua!”

“Hi Gon.” Killua said, eyeing Kurapika warily.

“I was really worried about where you had gone!” Gon said. “I ran up to Kurapika’s house, but you weren’t there either. He said we had to go find Leorio so we could go find you and Alluka.”

Kurapika cleared his throat and stared icily at the pair. Gon fell silent.

In the quiet, Leorio vaguely heard his name. Mina seemed to being getting frustrated with whoever was on the phone.

“I thought your parents had taken you,” Kurapika said coldly. He paused to let it sink in for a moment, and their faces dropped.

“And Gon was very upset.”

Gon shuffled his feet awkwardly. “I didn’t cry.” He said, with the tone of someone who was lying through their teeth.

Killua’s lip was wobbling too now.

“Kur--” Leorio started, but Kurapika placed a hand on his elbow. He bit his lip. Kurapika was right, but this was a little harsh, surely.

Kurapika nealt down and looked them both in their eyes, in turn. “Please don’t do that again.” He said softly.

Alluka’s face crumpled. “We won’t! I’m sorry Kurapika!” She reached out and wove her arms around him, burying her face into his chest. “We just didn’t think!”

Leorio dropped a hand to Killua’s shoulder. “You aren’t alone anymore. There are people who care about you.” His eyes rested on Kurapika, who looked away.

Guess that was a conversation that still needed to be had.

“Killua! I was so worried!” Gon flung his arms around Killua’s neck, and the solemnity of the previous moment was gone in a flash. “I’m so glad you’re ok.” He mumbled over Killua’s shoulder. 

Killua started blushing and frantically pretending to be trying to get out of Gon’s grip. “Get off me, you idiot!”

“Leorio.” A voice called him again, this time closer, and he jumped half a mile. He span around.

Mina stood there, stern expression on her aged face. “I see your young patients have recovered.” A small twitch of her lips might have been a smile. “There’s a lady on the phone that’s very insistent she talk to you only. Might you go see what she wants?”

“Ah, oh -- of course, Mina.” He said rather sheepishly. He almost wished Gon and Killua would stop wrestling each other under Mina’s wrathful gaze.

She gestured to the phone resting off the hook, and strode off to see to another patient.

He walked over. “Hello?”

“Leorio?” Mito’s voice echoed down the receiver. “Is that you?”

“Mito!” Leorio exclaimed. The four watching him with absent curiosity snapped to attention. “Is everything alright?”

“Well yes, I’m not sure though. The kids are all gone! And I went up to Kurapika’s cabin and he isn’t there either! Did something happen? Has Gon run away again?” She sounded slightly frantic.

“Everything’s fine.” He said firmly. “Alluka just had a bit of a tumble so Killua took her to the clinic so I could see to her. Nothing worse than a sprain I assure you.”

Mito sighed with relief. “Thank you, Leorio. These kids are so troublesome.” She huffed. “They’re aging me in dog years I’m sure of it.”

Leorio laughed. “Tell me about it. I’ll be grey haired in two years, just watch it.” 

Gon stuck out his tongue at him. At some point, they had all drifted closer to listen to his conversation.

She chuckled. “Tell them I’ll see them all at home. Kurapika too, I won’t take any excuses. I brought pizza.”

“Sounds lovely, I hope you all have a good time.”

“You’re invited too, obviously.”

“No, no. I’m not done at the clinic. Patients notes and stuff. Afterwards I’ve got to study as well.”

“Well, if you’re sure…” Mito trailed off.

“Positive.” He turned away to stifle a yawn into his hands. 

He said his goodbyes and turned back to face the four. Gon and Killua had been silently wrestling and were now all tangled up, and Kurapika was giving Alluka a piggyback and bearing the braiding being done to his hair with good grace.

“You aren’t coming?” Gon looked up at him from underneath Killua’s elbow.

“No.” He smiled and ruffled Gon’s hair. “Sorry kid, I gotta finish up here.”

Kurapika and Killua shared a speculative look.

“Come on, old man. Let’s get you home.” Killua yanked at his shoulder.

“But-- the paperwork--”

Kurapika hoisted him up. “Quit complaining and get in the jeep Leorio. I know you’ve been here all day.”

“Grab him!” Gon shouted enthusiastically. Killua yanked at his other leg and Alluka giggled into her bandaged hands. 

Leorio made panicked eye contact with Mina, now behind the desk. “I’m being kidnapped!”

Mina coughed into her hand and flicked through the papers in front of her. “Goodnight, Leorio.”

He squawked with outrage, trying and failing to wiggle out of their grasp. “Why are you all so strong yet so short?”

“Why are you so tall yet so weak?” Kurapika shot back in an instant, a small teasing smile on his face.

“Hey now!”

“Leorio. “ Gon said, suddenly serious. “Let us take care  _ you _ , for once.”

“Gon--” Leorio felt a lump in his throat.

“Also, if you don’t walk across the lot right now I’m going to bridal carry you to the car,” said Kurapika, without an ounce of flippancy.

Leorio yelped and made a break for it.

“I call shotgun!” Gon yelled, running after him.

“Not if I get there first!” Killua charged towards the jeep.

“Kurapika, please may I have shotgun?” Alluka looked up with big eyes at Kurapika.

“Of course, Alluka.” Kurapika smiled at her. “Now, we’d best get going. Mito is waiting for all of us.”

If possible, Alluka’s eyes got even bigger. “Yes!”

The two walked across the darkening parking lot to the waiting jeep. 

It was time to go home.

**Author's Note:**

> this was written for an anon under the prompt "Leorio patching up Alluka after she tried out killua's skateboard". I hope you enjoy, anon! im sorry it took so long ;__;
> 
> as always, follow me on gothreigen.tumblr.com for updates and sneak peeks! I'm now opening requests back up so if you liked this, or have something else in mind shoot me an ask!


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